Foster Care in Mendocino County

By Nichole Luher, MEd

Last year in Mendocino County there were roughly 280 children placed into the foster care system, this is 12.3 per 1,000; the California overall average is 5.8 per 1,000 children. In 2015 there were 355 substantiated cases of child abuse and neglect in Mendocino County, this translates to 19 per every 1,000, while the California average is 9 per 1,000 (kidsdata.org). Our County has a disproportionate number of children in out of home care versus the state of California. Our community is in high need of folks willing to open up their homes and hearts to our community’s most vulnerable children. When a foster placement is not available for a child that is, for various reasons, not able to live with their family, they are forced to leave their community. This causes additional trauma to the child; they must now leave everything that is “home” to them. This includes school, friends, church, and other community connections. As cited by Advocates for Children of New York, Inc (2009), multiple moves in foster care can be deleterious to a young child’s brain growth, mental development, and psychological adjustment. In addition, children in foster care who change schools often feel stigmatized by their peers and struggle to develop support networks and friends. Mendocino County is in high need of homes that can keep a child in their home town and keep them connected to their community.

Tapestry Family Services is looking for individuals or couples with the desire and ability to be professional caregivers for children needing a home and care. Our resource parents provide foster care for children in Mendocino County. They come from all backgrounds, financial situations, and employment.

Resource families can be married or single; they can have biological children or have no other children in the home. 

Resource families can provide temporary shelter care, long term foster care, or respite services. 

Respite care providers provide care to children on occasion or on weekends. 

Resource families are required to take part in an assessment process with adequate training and support provided. 

Resource families have a designated social worker to support them in managing schedules and transportation needs. 

Resource parents are provided with all necessary supports and services to address any education, therapeutic, and medical/dental needs. In addition, resource families are provided with 24/7 on call support. 

We are a small foster family agency, which allows us to provide personalized full supportive care to our families and children. Our motto is “we hold your hand while you hold theirs.” 

Tapestry Family Services is a Mental Health and Foster Family agency. As the name implies, our programs are designed to weave an array of services for children and families. Like a tapestry, the services’ threads are linked and related, with the distinct pattern of services designed to meet the unique needs of each child. Tapestry offers Therapeutic Foster Care, Foster Care, Respite, Emergency Shelter Services, Mental Health Treatment, Child Abuse and Victim Treatment (CHAT), Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), and Therapeutic Behavioral Services (TBS).

If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a Resource Parent in providing foster care for children of Mendocino County, or would like more information, please call us at (707) 485-0334 or visit our website at www.tapestryfs.org.   

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Nichole Luher, MEd works for Tapestry Family Services starting as a Social Worker before becoming the Foster Care Program Manager in April of 2017.  She has a BA in Sociology and a MA in Education with a specialization in Culturally Responsive Education. Prior to her work at Tapestry she was a Foster Care Licensing Worker for Catholic Charities, and has been working in child welfare since 2011.